I won't comment on the economic or political wisdom of the recently announcedAmerican import tariffs, nor even on the potential impact on the international numismaticmarketplace. While likely to be significant regardless of what we collect, there is alreadyplenty of commentary out there, and I imagine much more in store for us in the comingdays.

In the current environment, we're all being reminded of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of1930. If you somehow missed this, you can read about it on Wikipedia athttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot%E2%80%93Hawley_Tariff_Actand be amused byits mention in the movie athttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhiCFdWeQfA

Protective tariffs were the subject of considerable political debate in the severaldecades leading up to this culminating Act, and even the subject of an award medal forcollege seniors, shown in these photos, sponsored by The American Protective TariffLeague in the late-nineteenth century.According to a brief article in the Harvard Crimson, on November 6, 1890,

This particular example was awarded in 1887 to George Livingston Robinson (1863-1958), who was then completing his undergraduate studies at Princeton, before hisadvanced studies there and elsewhere, and an illustrious career teaching. More on himcan be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Livingston_Robinson

To read the complete item description, see:
American Protective Tariff League Silver Medal(https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1365431877965091)

To read the complete item description, see:
The American Protective Tariff League Banquet(https://emuseum.cornell.edu/objects/27684/the-american-protective-tariff-league-banquet)